The invention relates to a surveillance module for a video surveillance system, wherein the surveillance module can be data-coupled and/or is data-coupled to at least one surveillance camera, wherein the at least one surveillance camera is directed to a surveillance region, and the surveillance region can be displayed or is displayed as a surveillance scene that includes or can include moving foreground objects, and wherein the surveillance module is designed to analyze the surveillance scene and to output a signal on the basis of the analysis. The invention furthermore relates to a method for monitoring a surveillance region, and to a computer program.
Video surveillance systems typically include one or more surveillance cameras that are directed to relevant surveillance regions such as intersections, parking lots, factory halls, etc., wherein the image data streams recorded by the surveillance camera (S) are often combined in a surveillance center. In this surveillance center, the image data streams are then typically evaluated by surveillance personnel or in an automated manner using image-processing algorithms.
Methods are known for the automated evaluation of the image data streams that detect and track moving objects in the surveillance region and perform evaluations on the basis of the detection or tracking.
Publication DE 199 04 093 A1, for example, which is the closest prior art, discloses a method for the automatic detection of occupancy of parking spaces in a parking area. According to this method, it is provided that at least the entry and exit regions of at least one zone of a parking area are monitored using a video camera, wherein the current state of occupancy of the parking space is ascertained by investigating the direction of motion of detected vehicles by evaluating the corresponding image sequences.